2025 has been a fantastic year for the British Science Association, marked by exciting milestones across all areas of our work.
Over the past 12 months, the British Science Festival was held in Liverpool with great success, as we welcomed more than 17,000 attendees to get involved in over 100 events across the city. We secured a funding boost for The Ideas Fund, and we published impactful research through our All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Diversity & Inclusion in STEM.
We delivered grant schemes supporting schools and communities to take part in science projects, celebrated British Science Week through the theme of ‘Change and Adapt’, welcomed new trustees and celebrated current ones. We also showcased outstanding CREST projects that gained national media attention.
As we reflect on the year, we’re proud of our continued commitment to engaging and empowering those underrepresented in, and underserved by, science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).
Before we dive into our highlights, we’d like to thank everyone for their continued support and interest in our work.
The Ideas Fund is a grants programme run by the British Science Association and funded by Wellcome, which has brought communities and researchers together to build strong relationships and collaborate on mental wellbeing projects
Thirteen projects have been awarded a total of £1.73million to continue and extend their work, alongside researchers, improving mental wellbeing in communities across Hull, North West Northern Ireland, Oldham and the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.
READ MORE ABOUT THE LATEST REPORT FOCUSING ON REIMAGINING RESEARCH
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE IDEAS FUND
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), Ipsos, and the British Science Association launched a new wave of a long-running national survey of public attitudes to science.
The Public Attitudes to Science (PAS) survey gives insights on the public’s relationship with science. The 2025 survey was the first PAS since the COVID-19 pandemic and explores how the pandemic reshaped our relationship with science. The results will be announced in January 2026.
British Science Week entered its fourth decade in 2025. Taking place between 7-16 March, the theme that marked this new era was ‘Change and adapt’.
Changing and adapting plays a big part in science, with examples in every area of STEM . Cities, towns and other areas where people live change and adapt as the world’s population grows, plants and animals change and adapt to their surroundings to survive.
Thanks to the support of UK Research and Innovation, we were able to offer two grant schemes to support participation in British Science Week events and activities. We supported 150 schools in challenging circumstances with Kick Start Grants to enable them to participate in the themed celebration; and provided 98 Community Grants, enabling community groups to run activities with audiences that are traditionally underrepresented and not engaged in science activity.
During British Science Week in March, we commissioned and published research on science education in the UK. The survey highlighted public support for the UK’s science and research sector and the importance of science education.
Findings revealed that 81% of adults believe that science and research make a valuable contribution to society, and 77% agree that science and research is good for the country’s economy.
Nearly three quarters of respondents (73%) believe that a good science education is vital for young people’s future job prospects and their daily lives. Around two in three adults (65%) agree that a good science education system can prevent the spread of misinformation.
The Smashing Stereotypes campaign returned for British Science Week, celebrating diverse people and careers in science and engineering. We highlighted stories from an astronomer, a physical climate scientist and a plant-based food entrepreneur, plus many others who challenge long-standing stereotypes about what it means to work in science.
Looking ahead, British Science Week 2026 will celebrate the theme of ‘Curiosity: what’s your question?’. Running from 6–15 March, participants will have a chance to explore what makes them curious and how curiosity can lead to incredible discoveries.
This theme is all about getting you thinking about what you most want to know about the world, and how you could find out. We can’t wait to hear your questions and see the activities and events you plan around them.
Look out for the full 2026 activity packs in January, and for brand new Smashing Stereotypes profiles in the run-up to the big Week…
DOWNLOAD THE 2026 TASTER ACTIVITY PACK
This spring, we welcomed two new trustees, Professor Turi King and Dr Rachel Honeyghan-Williams to the British Science Association’s Council – our governing board of trustees. Professor King and Dr Honeyghan-Williams, were selected following an open recruitment process and joined Council from 1 March.
We published a new series of essays that amplifies voices often left out of traditional research spaces. The essays were created in collaboration with the fantastic communities and organisations that participated with us throughout the project, which was sponsored by our partner, UK Research and Innovation.
The themes within the series speak directly to the urgent challenges facing our society and the role of community-engaged research in shaping policies and driving change to improve impact.
READ MORE ABOUT THE ESSAY SERIES
As Secretariat for the APPG on Diversion & Inclusion in STEM, in April we published research exploring the most effective approaches to progressing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and improving representation in the science and technology workforce.
The APPG’s briefing - 'Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion strategies in STEM' - was based on a series of interviews with EDI leads and Human Resources departments at 14 STEM organisations and universities. It gave an overview of the current lack of diversity in the STEM workforce, skills shortages, and the potential impact this will have in future.
We also published the report 'Data collection, insight and analysis for diversity and inclusion in STEM,' highlighting the gap between data collection and action on EDI in the UK science and technology sector. The report set out five key messages and a series of recommendations for the UK government, its agencies, and the wider STEM sector.
This year we held a series of APPG events, launched new social media channels for the group, and welcomed new members. We’re honoured to continue providing the Secretariat for this vital group, ensuring that science is more relevant, representative, and connected to society.
We signed an open letter - coordinated by Global Action Plan - to the Secretary of State for Education, titled ‘Sustainability and climate change education in the National Curriculum.’
It called on Secretary of State for Education, Rt. Hon. Bridget Phillipson MP, to ensure that there is a more comprehensive inclusion of climate and environmental sustainability in the National Curriculum.
We called for a broader approach to science learning, particularly for topics like climate change, so that all young people have opportunities to apply their scientific knowledge and skills to other areas of study.
READ MORE ABOUT THE OPEN LETTER
In June, we were pleased to share that British Science Association trustee and university equalities practitioner, Kevin Coutinho was awarded an MBE in the 2025 King’s Birthday Honours.
LEARN MORE ABOUT KEVIN COUTINHO
In June we welcomed this year’s President, engineer and Crossbench Member of the House of Lords, Julia Elizabeth King, Baroness Brown of Cambridge DBE FREng FRS FMedSci.
Baroness Brown has extensive experience in the areas of STEM (Science, Technology, Education and Maths) education, innovation, and climate change mitigation and adaptation - including 12 years as vice-chair of the independent public body, the Climate Change Committee.
For her Presidential Address, Baroness Brown spoke with Professor Turi King at the British Science Festival in Liverpool. She candidly shared stories from her life, career in STEM and thoughts about the future of science.
READ OUR WRAP UP ON BARONESS BROWN'S FESTIVAL ADDRESS
Earlier this year, Poppy, an 11-year-old primary school pupil from Blackpool received a Gold CREST Award for her research project ‘Future Science Careers’. This was an exceptional achievement as Gold Awards are typically undertaken by students aged 16+.
After receiving her CREST Award, Poppy worked with her school and partners to create a ‘pop-up’ series of exhibitions and accompanying fundraising shop for her school.
The flagship CREST scheme aims to empower students to explore science through flexible, hands-on projects. A Gold Award typically takes around 70 hours of work, with students completing it alongside their daily school lessons and homework.
READ MORE ABOUT POPPY’S CREST AWARD
In September, we were thrilled to bring the British Science Festival to Liverpool for the first time since 2008. Hosted by University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University, it ran from 10 - 14 September 2025.
This year’s Festival welcomed over 17,000 members of the public to 126 free events at cultural and academic venues across Liverpool city centre, the docks and university campuses.
Working with local communities and organisations is at the heart of our work. We partnered with five local organisations: Liverpool Biennial and Culture Liverpool, FACT, Young Homotopia and The Bluecoat. Community grants were awarded to five Merseyside community groups to run science-based events as part of the Festival.
From comedy shows to art installations; dynamic performances to hands-on workshops; insightful talks to interactive experiences, there was something for everyone. The Festival would not have been possible without our 31 fantastic Festival assistants, who worked onsite to welcome the public.
The next British Science Festival will be hosted by the University of Southampton between 16 - 20 September 2026 - we can't wait!
READ THE FIRST OF THE WRAP-UP BLOG SERIES
READ OUR HEAD OF POLICY AND PUBLIC AFFAIR'S REFLECTION BLOG
Our Community Led Research Pilot drew to a close. It was such a pleasure to work with all the fantastic community groups involved.
Six community groups, all based in Reading and Slough, were awarded grants of up to £9,200 each. They worked alongside researchers, many of whom were based at the University of Reading, to develop their own research questions and ultimately lead the design of their projects. This approach valued lived experiences and local expertise, ensuring that research addresses the communities' local needs, interests, and priorities.
Congratulations to all those involved in this project. Our evaluation report will be published in January 2026.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE COMMUNITY LED RESEARCH PILOT
Earlier this year, nine community organisations across the UK were awarded £1,000 each under the Antarctica in the Community 2025 grants programme – delivered by the British Science Association and funded by the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT).
Launched to help local groups explore and celebrate the role of Antarctica in climate science, the scheme invited entries from community-based organisations working with audiences traditionally under-represented in science.
Each successful group ran a project or event between May and September 2025, under one of three themes: Bringing Antarctica to Life, Hidden Heroes of Antarctic Exploration, or Antarctica’s Impact on Our World.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ANTARTCTICA IN THE COMMUNITY GRANTS PROGRAMME
Earlier this year, we worked with Sciencewise to host a roundtable bringing together leaders from UK universities, the private sector, research funders, bioethics organisations, civil society, and policymakers to discuss the UK public’s role in shaping engineering biology research and policy.
The discussion was aimed at meaningfully considering where tensions and challenges lay, as well as the potential benefits to more, and better, public engagement.
READ THE FULL ROUNDTABLE FINDINGS
We announced that from 20 August 2025, CREST Awards will now be completely free for all young people aged 3 – 19 in Scotland, thanks to generous support from the James Weir Foundation.
We launched a new and improved website for our flagship STEM education programme. Thanks to the modern, intuitive design and enhanced functionality, teachers and learners can now access our latest resources, guidance and inspiration more easily than ever.
This upgrade reflected our commitment to providing educators with accessible, high-quality tools to bring STEM to life for young people across the UK and beyond.
CHECK OUT THE NEW CREST WEBSITE
A London-based 17-year-old secondary school student, Tom , designed a lightweight arm device to support communication for deaf and mute people, earning him a Gold CREST Award.
Inspired by his cousin, a young man with cerebral palsy who cannot speak, Tom conceived and created the device to transform interactions between people with different communication needs.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WRIST TECHNOLOGY DEVICE
The British Science Association gave a cautious welcome to the final report on the Curriculum and Assessment Review, an independent, government-commissioned review of the education system in England for ages five to 19. We supported the recommendation to give more students access to high-quality practical science.
READ MORE ABOUT THE CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT REVIEW
At the end of the year, we hosted the inaugural meeting of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology's Women in Tech Taskforce.
The Taskforce is co-Chaired by the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation & Technology, Liz Kendall, and Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon, founder of the Stemettes (and a former BSA President). We know from our work on the APPG on Diversity & Inclusion in STEM that developing and implementing successful EDI strategies can be a challenge for organisations and requires strong and clear leadership. And we know how vital it is for innovation, economic prosperity, and our shared values of fairness.
We're looking forward to seeing the work of the Taskforce to support diversity in tech, and its practical solutions to dismantle barriers to education, training, and career progression.
We're wishing you a joyful festive season – don’t forget to follow us on social media - Instagram, BlueSky, and LinkedIn and sign up to our newsletter for news and updates.
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